I raised my children in a blur. I was in my early twenties when they were born and divorced before they started school. I completed college, launched a career and elbowed my way up the career ladder--rung by rung--as a single mother. Needless to say, transferring values was the last thing on my mind, followed closely by teachable moments. Survival was the order of the day.

Who comes to mind when you think of a superager? I think of Roxy, who signed up for a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon at the age of 74. The trip leader was concerned that the excursion might be too wild for her (based solely on her age) but she completed it without incident and immediately embarked on an expedition to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. Here are three tips to become a superaging superpower.

When you go on an epic trip, such as my recent Backroads adventure, there’s often a special experience that defines the trip. It’s usually not the obvious one you gravitated to in the catalog or on the website. It may even seem inconsequential at the time, but then expands in meaning until it becomes the primary signifier of the trip. If you’re very lucky, you return with something you can hold in your hand to remember the magic of the moment.